Thomas "T.J." Hewitt succumbs to injuries from roadside bomb

Thomas "T.J." Hewitt grew up not far from here in the small town of Moffatt just up Interstate 35 near Temple.

CBS 42’s Keith Elkins sat down with T.J.'s older brother said he had turned his life around by joining the military and was doing something he considered to be important.

That is until T.J. was seriously wounded three weeks ago with injuries that proved to be fatal.

Private First Class Thomas James Hewitt had only been 22 years old for 10 days when he was gravely injured by a roadside bomb.

"We talked a lot about how we wanted to raise our kids,” his brother said.

Hewitt had only been married a week when he and his wife Vina Miller were deployed to Iraq last August.

“I love my brother, I’m proud of him, and I’m not bitter at the military,” Rick Hewett said.

As a cavalry scout, Hewitt’s job is one of the most dangerous in times of war: becoming a human target to flush enemy insurgents out of hiding.

"He's an honorable man and he was scared but he did his job," Rick Hewett said.

War didn't scare T.J. Few things did. But being separated from his three-year-old son was the hardest of all.

“Before he left he went out and got a bear, one that could record voices and everything,” Rick Hewett said. “And he said that he loved him, that he missed him, he'd be safe and he'd be coming back. Clifton just thinks his daddy's at work."

Hewitt will now return to his family's cemetery to be buried with full military honors. He will take his place beside his grandfather he helped lay to rest just five months ago.

His says he thinks T.J. would want to be remembered as loving and courageous.

“He was scared, but courage comes from when you do things even though you're scared," he said.

Hewitt’s body was returned to Austin Thursday night. A public visitation for T.J. are schedule for Friday from 6-8 p.m. at the Harper Talasek Funeral Home at 500 Barton Ave. in Temple.

Funeral services are schedule for Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Moffatt Cemetery.

Rick Hewitt said T.J. was so determined to join the army he lost 100 pounds to meet the weight requirement just to get in.

From KEYE 42